Sump Enchanted Evening

I promised myself that the next post would be a continuation of the Maxine Story, but sometimes things happen that change plans.

This all began when I was going to be on a Zoom meeting with other instructors for the Cuyamungue  Institute.  Cuyamungue Institute  I had never used Zoom and was in the process of installing it.  I must have clicked on something that has nothing to do with Zoom and after a few more clicks felt like I was in a wormhole.  Usually, when I do this, Ray is my tech support and solves my mistake.  He says I get too click happy.  When he says that, I always wonder where click unhappy would take me.   He sometimes uses the term PEBKAC.  Of course, he says that with a smile since I know it means, "Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair."  Anyway, back to me trying to get on Zoom.

I thought I had begun this installation early enough to have plenty of time before the meeting to check it out.  Instead, I was berating myself for waiting, and now as time was cruelly moving along, I was just moving through sites discussing Skype, Alexa and Google Chat.  Time to call Ray, I thought.  But at that time there was crashing and banging and grumbling reverberating below my feet.  (Better not call Ray because he was 'breaking bad' in the basement.)

I ventured down the steps to the basement and was greeted with sudsy water coming out of the laundry room.  Ray was holding a hose and staring into the sump pump.  Oops, maybe I better go back upstairs and figure out the Zoom problem myself. 

Ray sees me before my escape.  "The (bad word, very bad word) keeps overflowing."

"Maybe we should get a new sump pump and have someone install it," was my suggestion.  Ray informed me that he had installed sump pumps and would not need someone else to do it.  Plus, this one is not that broken.  It is just the hose.  A little duct tape will solve this problem.  Looking down at the sump pump I wondered how the hose caused it to lean against the wall of the hole.  It's sad face looked at me telling me it was tired and needed to retire.

Here is the duct tape solution.

 Ray told me that he just had to readjust it and it would be fine.  But, maybe he should do the wash from now on, or if I did decide to do the laundry, let him know.  Some how this all did not sound good, but I happily retreated to my office and was able to get on Zoom with no problems. (too late for my meeting though)

We usually share laundry duty, but I did not complain that Ray wanted to take over for now.  A couple of days later, there was more grumbling and crashing and some very bad words coming from the basement.  Hmmm.....I bet the duct tape failed.   I did not go down this time because my suggestion would be the same.  I knew Ray was not going to give up.

"The #%#! thing is fixed now!" he stated. "But I still want to do the laundry, just to be sure.  I had to stop the sump pump from dancing when the washer was draining into it.  So I put my a crate on top of the screen and then s tool box on top of the crate. (The screen has been over the hole to keep the cats from falling in.) 

Final Solution, Tool Box on Crate on Screen.

So that is the story of our sump pump.  Ray is still doing the laundry.  There seems to be no more overflow, and no more bad words coming from the basement.  Strange, I have written other Rae stories where that Rae often said a few choice words.  Is it the name, or am I just one lucky lady?